Double Skin Facade Executive Summary This report outlines the materials and uses of the double skin

facade. It identifies all the situations in which a building may benefit with natural sustainable energy. The Double Facade produces an energy efficient building that may save in long term cost as well as making the occupants of the building comfortable by adjusting their internal atmosphere. This report also shows the technical challenges that occur when design a Double Facade System and the lack of information that compounds this problem.

Double Skin Facade Contents 1 2 Summary Introduction....................................................................................................2 Benefits of a Double skin Facade ...........................4 2.1 .4 2.25 2.3 .................................................................. 5 2.4 .... 6 2.5 6 2.6 ................. 7 2.7 .. 7 2.8 . 7 Recommendation... 8 Construction and Cost Efficiency.. 8 Building Alteration 8 References. 10 Appendix 1 Appendix 2

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Double Skin Facade 1. Introduction Double skin facades are created by the use of different material and designs used to adapt to the building needs to improve indoor climate and reduce use of energy if designed properly. Technical perimeters and designs are selected after selecting the type of double skin faade appropriate for the building. The technical parameter and designs influences the function of the performance of the system and the structure of the cavity. This report will include the benefits of a double skin faade for the office building and the technical challenges that would need to be overcome to produced a double skin faade for the building. 2. Benefits of a Double skin Facade 2.1 Natural Ventilation This allow for natural ventilation to take place. These are different types for different climate conditions to provide fresh air before and after office operations. This can maintain the quality of air introduced inside the building, air velocity and temperature if properly designed it can reduce energy consumption and improve the comfort of personnel within the building. Examples of this are the use of operable windows see Appendix 1. 2.2 Cost Benefit It is lower in construction cost compared to the use of thermochromic, electronic or photochromic panes. These panes change their properties according to change in the atmosphere and are very expensive. A double skin faade material are widely available in the market and with proper design can accomplish the same desired effects as the highly expensive panes. 2.3 Better Acoustic Insulation The noise level can be louvered inside and outside the building. Inside the building noise and vibration can be transmitted along a partition wall with insulation in between a solid wall to create a drastic noise reduction. The same principle applies for outside the first layer of the faade transmitted noise back or along a surface, thus reducing noise pollution. 2.4 Better Thermal Insulated Like noise, temperature could be controlled because of the extra layer of material outside the building. During winter cold temperature can be lowered by design the external faade, thus increasing the heat transfer within the building via length, equipment, machinery and body heat. During summer the more air could be ventilate properly with the adequate use of type of system, internal panes materials used in shading devices. The width length and size of the openings is very important for proper airflow throughout the system.

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2.5 Night Time ventilation Hot summer days if there is no internal cooling system the double faade can be used to cool the office area and ceiling areas within the building. This could either be done by design or simply by opening internal windows and certain types of outer faade e.g lowered windows to ventilate the office area. Which prevents again thief or weather conditions like rain. 2.6 Reduction of wind pressure effects The double faade protects against lateral loads brought about by wind pressure. This is highly important for high rise building in urban or rural areas. 2.7 Shading or lighting devices This serves protection of electrical light and equipment that may be on the outskirts of the building by creating shading from snow, haul or rain. 2.8 Creating Solar Power As described within cost benefits photovoltaic glass can be used to store energy for later use, thus reducing long term cost as this system is not cost effective and with proper design of systems could be avoided. 2.9 Save Energy with design As described earlier with proper use of system and material, a desired effect of the faade would be forthcoming for the building. 2.10 Integrating design Parts of the space between the external and internal faade could be used as a fire escape as an design option of needed. 2.11 Transparency in double faade They may be a desire to create larger glass pane faade with certain materials to be almost temperate from a distance.

Double Skin Facade 3. Technical Challenges to overcome to produce a double faade There are many technical challenges to overcome when producing a double faade these challenges consist of design and finish, function of faade connectivity of the structure and construction method and safety and time. 3.1 Designing The Double Faade The Double Facade has three methods of framing which are the Corridor Facade, Box Frame Facade and the Box and Vent Facade. The first challenge is in deciding what type of frame to use. The Corridor type framing allows air to go in and out each individual framing system within the facade, thus ventilating each floor individually. The box frame is used to pass air from the base of the facade caring cool air in and exhaust hot air out, either through the ceiling in the front or the back of the building thereby keeping the building cool see Appendix 1. The box and vent system allows the hot air to flow through a vent that is between the internal and external facade isolating the flow of hot air engineered to cool the building efficiently. Due to the lack of information for double faade in building and the info that is obtained shows some buildings being energy efficient and others are not. This inconsistency in design and function and unavailable historical data does not arrest in the design and function of the building. Therefore there is a challenge to design a double faade system based on data. The design of the faade would be based on calculations from the light and rise of the building, location, climate changes wind speed and weight of the faade. The design will result in the section of double faade in relation to lateral load and vibration. A sufficient design of foundation to hold the double faade at the required level and the aesthetic of the design to complement the building. The function of the faade will have to be tested after the material from the design is finished this testing is done with simulated changes in weather from indoor testing. Once that material is gone through the testing under extreme conditions then it may be passed if it does not meet requirements then changes must be done in order for this to proceed in too manufacturing. Another way of testing this is by computer generated models. These models could have the set parameter and lateral leads in order to define weather or not a particular system will work. Once the double faade system is approved the structure must be connected to the primary structure (columns, wall floors) with bracing required to carry horizontal and vertical loads. There are three types of connections that are commonly used the cantilever bracket structure, the suspended structure and the frame structure. 3.2 Cantilever Bracket Framing 5

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A rectangular tube or u-profile structure can be connected to the intermediate floor this creating a cantilever bracket. This can be connected to the edge of the intermediate floor in many ways see Appendix 2 3.3 Suspended Structure and C-rail Connection. The suspended structure is usually held up by horizontal and diagonal adjusting rods connected to cantilever girders. When both adjustable rods are sloping downwards they can be connected to the G-rail at the same place and fastened to a plate see Appendix 2. 3.4 Frame Structure The frame structure is a box frame that is either bolted or welded to the frame after consideration made from calculations of wind load, dead loads and service loads. See figure # 3.5 Construction Method and safety Weather conditions can hamper the installation of glass panels and slow down the project. These laps in construction and weather condition can cause the joints to be open to damage from rain show. In some cause the faade may not be water proofed and the inner envelope is exposed to the elements before the outer faade is erected. In erecting the faade scaffolding and proper (PPE) is needed for an accident and incident free installation. 3.6 Time Due to drawbacks in manufacturing erection or both cost overruns may be inevitable and this should be tried to be avoided with proper planning and phasing of the project.

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4. References http://www.ebd.lth.se/fileadmin/energi_byggnadsdesign/images/Publikationer/BokEBD-R3-G5_alt_2_Harris.pdf http://simulationresearch.lbl.gov/dirpubs/SB06/doebber.pdf http://www.betterbricks.com/CaseStudies.aspx?ID=1158 unit 6 double skin facade